Flashlight assembly having combined support and visor means



@at M, E952 D. GQAD FLASHLIONT ASSEMBLY HAVING COMBINED SUPPORT ANO VISOR MEANS Filed June 5, 1949 IN V EN TOR. G @f Patented Oct. 14,?1952 OFFICE FLASHLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAVING COM- BINED SUPPORT AND VISOR MEANS Dow Goad, Flippin, Ky.

Application June 3, 1949, Serial No. 96,863

, 1 Claim. l

This invention relates to flashlight supports, and more particularly to a ashlight holder and support assembly for rendering a flashlight more conveniently portable by a person using the same and for supporting the ashlight on a supporting surface in proper position for use.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved ashlight holder and support assembly including a flashlight sheath of exible material which receives the flashlight and protects it against dampness, wear and shocks, and also provides an attaching means for a suspension strap so that the flashlight can be suspended from the neck or shoulder of the user, leaving both hands free while the flashlight is in use, and which further includes a support in the form of a visor or shield which may be positioned at either the top or the bottom of the flashlight at the light-projecting end of the latter and may be extended forwardly of the flashlight to provide a light-controlling visor, or turned backwardly from the front end of the flashlight to provide a support for supporting the flashlight in a forwardly and upwardly-inclined position on a generally horizontal supporting surface, and which holder and support does not interfere in any way with the normal use of the flashlight, is simple, durable and economical in construction, may be used with various conventional types of nashlights, and is neat and attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claim in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flashlight holder and support assembly illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the assembly illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation of the assembly illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view on the line 4 4 of Figure 2 of a fragmentary portion of the assembly, showing one of the operative components in a different operative position from that illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

With continued reference to the drawing, the ashlight, generally indicated at IU, is of conventional construction and of the Well known cylindrical form, having a light-emitting front end, a closed rear end, and a manually-operated switch I I on one side thereof.

The ashlight I is received in a sheath, generally indicated at I2, formed of a suitable ilexible material, such as leather, a heavy fabric, or

a synthetic sheet material, which sheath 4receives and encloses substantially all of the flashlight Iii. The sheath is provided with an open front end i3 and receives the ilashlight so that the front or light-emitting end of the flashlight is substantially flush with this open front end of the sheath, and the sheath is provided with a closed rear end Ill. Preferably, the sheath is made longer than the flashlight and includes a transverse partition I5 at the rear end of the flashlight to provide a compartment between this partition and the rear end of the sheath, which compartment may be used to carry rst aid materials or other articles. At its rear end, the sheath has an elongated opening therein providing access to the rear compartment, and this opening is closed by a conventional slide fastener I6.

Near its front, open end the sheath is provided with longitudinally-extending slot I1 and a flexible strap I8 is threaded through the slots and bound tightly about the ashlight to secure the flashlight in operative position in the sheath, the strap I8 having a buckle I9 thereon so that it can be iirmly tightened about the flashlight. The sheath is provided with an opening receiving the ilashlight switch I I and this opening is preferably surrounded by a piece 20 of reinforcing material to prevent undue wear of the material of the sheath around the switch opening.

Two rings 2| and 22 are secured in the sheath at spaced-apart locations longitudinally of the latter and adjacent the top seam 23 of the sheath and a suspension strap 24 is secured at its ends to these rings so that the sheath withthe flashlight secured therein can be suspended from the neck or shoulder of the user during use.

A flexible band 25, which may be in the form of a conventional ball or bead chain, surrounds the ashlight near its front or light-emitting end, and a support 26 is secured to the flashlight by this band or chain.

The support 26 is visor shaped and longitudinally curved, having a convex outer edge and a concave inner edge, and is provided with a tongue 2 projecting from its inner edge at the mid-length location of the latter, which tongue is bent around the band 25, as particularly illustrated in Figure 4, to pivotally attach the support or visor 2S? to the flashlight, The support 28 may be positioned at the top of the flashlight and extended forwardly of the latter, as illustrated in broken lines in Figure 1, to provide a light-directing visor for the flashlight, so that the light can be confined below a desired level, and is movable to a position at the bottom of the ashlight, as illustrated in full lines in Figure 1, where the tongue 21 is received in an opening in the front end of the sheath, see Figure 4, and is movable from this position rearwardly by rotating tongue 21 about hand 25 to the position illustrated in Figure 4, in which it is disposed to the rear of the front end of the flashlight and its two wing portions at the respectively opposite sides of its mid-length location extend outwardly and downwardly from the ashlight to provide a support for holding the ashlight in an upwardly and forwardly-inclined position and against rolling on a substantially horizontal supporting surface.

The holder and support assembly provides means for greatly facilitating the use of a flashlight for various purposes, such as performing farm chores, changing tires on automotive vehicles, night fishing, and other activities, by providing means whereby the light can be suspended Yfrom the neck or shoulder of the person using the light, leaving both hands of the person free for purposes other than holding the light, and whereby the light may be supported on the ground or other substantially horizontal supporting surfaces when it is desired to have the light teinporarily stationary.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or cssential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing de- '4 scription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

A flashlight and support assembly comprising a cylindrical flashlight having a light-emitting end, a exible band surrounding said flashlight near the light-emitting end of the latter, and a visor-shaped support having a tongue thereon encircling said band to secure said support to said flashlight, said support being movable around said flashlight and movable forwardly and rearwardly of the light-emitting end of the ashlight to serve as a visor or as a support for the flashlight.

DOW GOAD.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,174,594 McGii Mar. 7, 1916 1,282,488 Streever Oct. 22, 1918 1,308,809 Reese July 8, 1919 1,320,934 Schoop Nov. 4, 1919 2,092,615 Phillips Sept. 7, 1937 2,137,881 Margulies Nov. 22, 1938 2,264,284 Bassett Dec. 2, 1941 2,287,019 Bristow June 23, 1942 2,334,480 Cross Nov. 16, 1943 2,434,440 Schafranek Jan. 13, 1948 

